Practice makes perfect

ĐỀ 8
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from
the three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
Question 1. A. maintained B. promoted C. required D. argued
Question 2. A. tall B. late C. safe D. same
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word that differs from the other three in
the position of the primary stress in each of the following questions.
Question 3. A. achieve B. supply C. insist D. offer
Question 4. A. tradition B. candidate C. industry D. customer
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to
each of the following questions.
Question 5. He's American, _________?
A. won't he B. didn't he C. doesn't he D. isn't he
Question 6. The flood victims _________ with food and clean water by the volunteers.
A. provided B. were provided C. were providing D. provide
Question 7. Many students are worried _________ the coming exam.
A. about B. on C. from D. to
Question 8. _________ it is, the more uncomfortable we feel.
A. Hotter B. The hotter C. Hottest D. The hottest
Question 9. He was fascinated by the _________ car at the exhibition.
A. red German old B. German old red C. old red German D. old German red
Question 10. Mike _________ his favourite program on TV when the lights went out.
A. was watching B. is watching C. watched D. watches
Question 11. My uncle lives a happy life _________ his disability
A. because of B. because C. though D. in
spite of
Question 12. Mrs Brown will have worked at this school for 30 years _________.
A. by the time she retires B. when she retired
C. as soon as she had retired D. after she had retired

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 Practice makes perfect

Question 13. _________ the report to the manager, she decided to take a rest.
A. Having handed in B. Handed in C. To hand in D. Being
handed in
Question 14. This restaurant is _________ with those who like Vietnamese food.
A. popular B. popularly C. popularise D. popularity
Question 15. Tom's brother asked him to _________ the music so that he could sleep.
A. close down B. go up C. turn down D. stand up
Question 16. When Linda was little, her mother used to _________ her a bedtime story every
night.
A. tell B. speak C. say D. talk
Question 17. Students from other schools have to pay a small _________ to join the club.
A. fee B. fare C. wage D. salary
Question 18. As the season turns from spring to summer, some people feel a bit under the
_________ and can't concentrate fully on their work.
A. storm B. weather C. climate D. rain
Question 19. James had a cosy birthday party at home last Friday in the _________ of his
close friends.
A. company B. business C. atmosphere D. residence
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word CLOSEST in
meaning to the underlined word in each of the following questions.
Question 20. It's great to go out on such a lovely day.
A. ugly B. beautiful C. old D. modern
Question 21. Josh's ambition is to become a successful businessman like his father.
A. dream B. doubt C. pleasure D. patience
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE
in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 22. You should dress neatly for the interview to make a good impression on the
interviewers.
A. untidily B. formally C. unfairly D. comfortably
Question 23. The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the country's aviation
industry due to international travel restrictions.

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 Practice makes perfect

A. considerably benefited B. negatively changed

C. severely damaged D. completely replaced
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best
completes the following exchanges.
Question 24. Tim is talking to Peter, his new classmate, in the classroom.
- Tim: "How far is it from your house to school, Peter?”
- Peter: “_______________,”
A. About five kilometres B. A bit too old
C. Not too expensive D. Five hours ago
Question 25. Jack and David are talking about taking a gap year.
- Jack: "I think taking a gap year is a waste of time."
- David: “ ____________. It gives gap-year takers a lot of valuable experiences.”
A. I agree with you B. I don't quite agree
C. It's right D. My pleasure
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to
choose the word or phrase that best fits each other numbered blanks.

THE BEST STUDENTS

According to most professors, mature students are ideal students because they are hard-
working and become actively involved in all aspects of the learning process. The majority of
mature students have a poor educational (26) _______ but they manage to do exceptionally
well at tertiary level. (27) _______ many of them have a job and children to raise, they are
always present at seminars and lectures and always hand in essays on time. They like
studying and writing essays and they enjoy the class discussions (28) _______ take place.
Consequently, they achieve excellent results. In fact, as they have experienced many of life's
pleasures, they are content with their lives and this has a positive effect on their attitude,
making them eager to learn.
On the other hand, despite their enthusiasm and commitment, mature students suffer from
anxiety. The fact that they have made (29) _______ sacrifices to get into university puts extra
pressure on them to succeed. Nevertheless, completing a degree gives mature students a
sense of achievement, (30) _______ their confidence and improves their job prospects.
(Adapted from Use of English for All Exams by E. Moutsou)
Question 26. A. development B. background C. basement D. institution

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 Practice makes perfect

Question 27. A. Although B. But C. So D. And

Question 28. A. whom B. which C. where D. when
Question 29. A. every B. another C. much D. many
Question 30. A. arises B. boosts C. mounts D. surges
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Marcel Bich, a French manufacturer of traditional ink pens, was the man who turned the
ballpoint pen into an item that today almost anyone can afford. Bich was appalled at the poor
quality of the ballpoint pens that were available, and was also shocked at their high cost.
However, he recognised that the ballpoint was a firmly established invention, and he decided
to design a cheap pen that worked well and would be commercially successful.
Bich went to the Biro brothers and asked them if he could use the design of their original
invention in one of his own pens. In return, he offered to pay them every time he sold a pen.
Then, for two years, Bich studied the detailed construction of every ballpoint pen that was
being sold, often working with a microscope.
By 1950, he was ready to introduce his new wonder: a plastic pen with a clear barrel that
wrote smoothly, did not leak and only cost a few cents. He called it the 'Bic Cristal'. The
ballpoint pen had finally become a practical writing instrument. The public liked it
immediately, and today it is as common as the pencil. In Britain, they are still called Biros,
and many Bic models also say 'Biro' on the side of the pen, to remind people of their original
inventors.
Bich became extremely wealthy thanks to his invention, which had worldwide appeal.
Over the next 60 years his company, Societe Bic, opened factories all over the world and
expanded its range of inexpensive products. Today, Bic is as famous for its lighters and
razors as it is for its pens, and you can even buy a Bic mobile phone.
(Adapted from Complete IELTS Workbook by Rawdon Wyatt)
Question 31. What could be the best title for the passage?
A. From Mobile Devices to Ballpoint Pens
B. From a Luxury Item to an Everyday Object
C. Ballpoint Pen's New Design - For Better or Worse?
D. Biros - A Business Model in Britain
Question 32. According to paragraph 1, Marcel Bich was shocked because _________.
A. a cheap pen could be designed with great commercial success

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 Practice makes perfect

B. a firm was not established to produce high-quality ballpoint pens

C. most people could not afford such a firmly established invention
D. the ballpoint pens available were expensive despite their poor quality
Question 33. The word "practical" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. accurate B. traditional C. sharp D. useful
Question 34. The word "which" in paragraph 4 refers to _________.
A. factories B. company C. invention D. range
Question 35. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as
products of Bich's company?
A. mobile phones B. lighters C. pencils D. razors
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on you answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
A study was set up to examine the old marriage advice about whether it's more important
to be happy or to be right. Couples therapists sometimes suggest that in an attempt to avoid
constant arguments, spouses weigh up whether pressing the point is worth the misery of
marital discord. The researchers from the University of Auckland noticed that many of their
patients were adding stress to their lives by insisting on being right, even when it worked
against their well-being.
The researchers then found a couple who were willing to record their quality of life on a
scale of 1 to 10. They told the man, who wanted to be happy more than right, about the
purpose of the study and asked him to agree with every opinion and request his wife had
without complaint, even when he profoundly didn't agree. The wife was not informed of the
purpose of the study and just asked to record her quality of life.
Things went rapidly downhill for the couple. The man's quality-of-life scores fell, from 7 to
3, over the course of the experiment. The wife's scores rose modestly, from 8 to 8.5, before
she became hostile to the idea of recording the scores. Rather than creating harmony, the
husband's agreeableness led to the wife becoming increasingly critical of what he did and
said in the husband's opinion). After 12 days he broke down, and the study was called off
because of "severe adverse outcomes."
The researchers concluded, shockingly, that humans need to be right and acknowledged as
right, at least some of the time, to be happy. They also noted this was further proof that if
given too much power, humans tend to "assume the alpha position and, as with chimpanzees,
they become very aggressive and dangerous." It is often said that there can be no peace
without justice, and that's true of domestic sphere. Obviously the results are to be taken with
extreme caution, since this was just one couple with who- knows-what underlying issues

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 Practice makes perfect

beforehand. But the study's chief author, Dr. Bruce Arroll, maintains that the question of
happiness vs. rightness, theoretically, could be settled by scientific inquiry with a wider
sample. “This would include a randomized controlled trial,” he says. "However, we would be
reluctant to do the definitive study because of the concern about divorce."
Question 36. Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Expert Advice: It Pays to be Kind rather than to be Right
B. It's Worth Listening to Experts for a Happy Marriage
C. Marriage Experiment: It's Better to be Right than Happy
D. It Makes Sense to Avoid Marriage Conflicts
Question 37. The word "discord” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. disagreement B. status C. understanding D. disloyalty
Question 38. In paragraph 1, the study was conducted in order to _________.
A. illustrate how to live a happier life B. test an old piece of advice on marriage
C. find out the best advice for couples D. see if people are happy in their
marriage
Question 39. The word "critical" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. agreeable B. disapproving C. unequal D. encouraging
Question 40. The word "They" in paragraph 4 refers to _________.
A. researchers B. results C. chimpanzees D. humans
Question 41. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
A. The woman in the study was kept in the dark about its aim.
B. It was anticipated that people need to be regarded as right to be happy.
C. Having too much power in hand may lead to aggression among people.
D. In domestic sphere, peace can hardly be maintained without justice.
Question 42. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 5?
A. The findings of the study are inconclusive due to its limited sample.
B. Studies of this kind will ultimately lead to divorce among the subjects.
C. Further research on the issue will definitely be conducted with a larger sample.
D. The researchers are willing to continue the study despite its bad influence.

By Trung Anh Nguyen

 Practice makes perfect

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that
needs correction in each of the following questions.
Question 43. Yesterday morning (A), Joe arrives (B) late for school (C) for the first (D) time.
Question 44. In different (A) parts of (B) the world, elephants are (C) still hunted for its
(D) ivory tusks.
Question 45. It is essential (A) to provide high school students with adequate career
orientation (B) , so they can make more informative (C) decisions about their future
major.(D)
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is
closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
Question 46. She last visited her home country ten years ago.
A. She hasn't visited her home country for ten years.
B. She didn't visit her home country ten years ago.
C. She has visited her home country for ten years.
D. She was in her home country for ten years.
Question 47. "I'll help you with the washing-up, Mary” he said.
A. He admitted helping Mary with the washing-up.
B. He denied helping Mary with the washing-up.
C. He promised to help Mary with the washing-up
D. He refused to help Mary with the washing-up.
Question 48. It's necessary for you to drink enough water every day.
A. You should drink enough water every day.
B. You may drink enough water every day.
C. You needn't drink enough water every day.
D. You mustn't drink enough water every day.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on the answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best
combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Question 49. His parents are away on holiday. He really needs their help now.
A. As long as his parents are at home, they will be able to help him.
B. He wishes his parents were at home and could help him now.

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 Practice makes perfect

C. If his parents are at home, they can help him now.

D. If only his parents had been at home and could have helped him.
Question 50. He finally contracted the disease. He was aware of the importance of preventive
measures only then.
A. But for his awareness of the importance of preventive measures, he could have contracted
the disease.
B. Hardly had he been aware that preventive measures were essential when he contracted
the disease.
C. Not until he was aware of the importance of preventive measures did he contract the
disease.
D. Only after he had contracted the disease was he aware that preventive measures were
essential.

By Trung Anh Nguyen